Criminal Law

08/02/2009

One fascinating issue that we are exploring as part of the LANP is the neural underpinnings of psychopathy. Led by Kent Kiehl--who did his PhD at UBC with Robert Hare of PCL-R fame--this research has the potential to not only further our understanding of the psychopathic mind, but also to change our perception of their moral and legal culpability. With the assistance of a mobile fMRI, Kiehl and his associates have already scanned more than 700+ incarcerated psychopaths. Given both how disproportionally violent psychopaths are and how little we can currently do for them in terms of treatment, this research could have several policy implications. As such, this is an issue that will recur on this blog in the months and years to come. For now, I thought it might be helpful to provide readers with some links to interesting articles, books, and videos about psychopathy:

07/26/2009

Here are two interesting videos by our own Mike Gazzaniga. The first (see here) is a recent interview with folks from the NSF--which addresses the various ways neuroscience could impact the law. The second (see here) is a bloggingheads.tv discussion between Gazzaniga and Carl Zimmer. Happy viewing!

07/21/2009

Steven Erickson and Alan Felthous recently edited a special issue of Behavioral Sciences and the Law entitled, "The Neuroscience and Psychology of Moral Decision Making and the Law." The issue is full of interesting contributions, so readers of this blog should check it out!

For those of you who are understandably new to neurolaw, I thought it might be helpful to provide some links to some survey pieces from both professional journals and the popular press. For starters, here are two illuminating articles written by some of the members of the LANP:

These four pieces should whet your appetite. In the event that you want to delve further into some of the issues that are raised therein, you should check out some of the side-bars on this blog--which contain several links to relevant researchers, webpages, books, and blogs.

07/17/2009

Welcome to the The Law and Neuroscience Blog--which we have created to provide an on-line forum where the members of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience can share their ideas and interact with not only other researchers but also with the interested public more generally. One of the main goals of the blog is to provide a resource with information about cutting edge research at the cross-roads of neuroscience, law, and philosophy.